PPTCT: Bengal gets first success story

[Guest guest]

PPTCT: Bengal gets first success story

HIV-positive mother's baby girl diagnosed healthy and not infected

with the virus

Ravik Bhattacharya

Kolkata, July 23: She was one of the first mothers in the state to

undergo treatment for prevention of mother-to-child HIV infection.

This was in 2004, after the project was inaugurated.

Diagnosed as an HIV positive mother, she gave birth to a baby girl

two years back. However, the hospital lost track of the mother and

child as she stopped coming for regular check-ups.

After a sheer co-incidence brought her back to the same hospital two

months back, her baby was diagnosed healthy and HIV negative. Thus,

West Bengal got its first success story.

" This is the first baby we were able to check and we are happy that

she is healthy. We had almost lost hope after we failed to trace the

mother-child duo for two years, " said Arunanshu Talukder, programme-

in-charge, West Bengal State HIV AIDS Prevention and Control Society

(WBSAPCS). The Prevention of Parent To Child Transmission of HIV

(PPTCT) is a collaborative project between NACO, WBSAPCS and the

state Health department.

The 21-year-old woman, a resident of Sonarpur North 24 Parganas,

first visited Nilratan Sarkar Medical College Hospital on her first

pregnancy in 2004. She was diagnosed with the dreaded virus after

the anti-natal check-up (under Prevention of Parent to Child

Transmission). She was counselled and admitted on July 10, 2004.

However, her condition deteriorated and doctors decided to go in for

a Caesarean delivery. She gave birth to a girl child on July 12.

" According to norms, such mothers and children are administered

Nevirapine dose four hours before birth and post birth. In this case

also, the two were given the medicine, " said Chirashree Mitra,

counsellor PPTCT, NRS Hospital.

However, the procedure yields results only after 18 months, when the

baby takes the final HIV tests. Therefore, hospitals keep a close

watch on the mother and the baby, and both are asked to visit the

hospital after regular intervals.

" In this case, though the woman and her child came for check-ups for

about a month, she stopped coming after that. We tried our best, but

failed to trace them, " said counsellor Chirashree Mitra.

However, after 18 months, when doctors had lost all hope of finding

her, her sister-in-law's pregnancy brought her back to the same

hospital. The baby was then underwent an HIV rapid test and was

diagnosed healthy and HIV negative.

The project, which started in 2004, covered 96,000 mothers in that

year and 1.10 lakh in 2005. At present, nine medical colleges in the

state and Lady Duferrin Hospital have such PPTCT centres.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=194046

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: PPTCT: Bengal gets first success story

Such success is bound to happen among the 67% babies who get the virus from

their infected mothers. The trials in Uganda showed the way.

But, when one recalls the Indian government's hesitation in implementing the

programme in 2000 and the rejection of a German company's offer of free

Nevirapine supply for prevention of vertical

transmission, one wonders how many babies could have been saved had

the programme started earlier.

Anyway, now the stress would have to be on percolation of PPTCT to

the district and block hospitals, where a large number of babies are

also born.

Amit

e-mail: amitukil@...